Dialogue tags are the words (typically) at the end of the sentence that let the reader know who is speaking and how that person is speaking. For example, “Don’t tell me what to do,” Gary said and stormed out of the room. The words Gary said and stormed out of the room are the dialogue tag. They identify the speaker and his angry mood.

Giacomo Giammatteo, indie author of over 70 self-published books, explores the issue of dialogue tags. We’ve all heard the rule about avoiding the overuse of adverbs. You don’t need to add words like horribly, terribly, demandingly, emphatically. But what about words like answered, argued, requested, warned? Are those permissible?

Read on to find out Giammatteo’s pronouncements. Is he right? Is he wrong? You get to decide; you're the author!